The man who has led the Johnson County jail for nearly eight years won the Republican nomination for Johnson County sheriff.
Voters chose Duane Burgess with 41 percent of the vote, over Republicans Stoney Vann, with 30 percent of the vote, and Kirby Cochran, with 28 percent.
Burgess, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for more than 30 years, will face Democratic candidate Jason Boudi in the general election in November.
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Burgess credited his win to the hard work of all the people involved in his campaign for more than a year, and to his experience at the sheriff’s office where he has held multiple positions, ranging from corrections officer to deputy to investigator.
“This is something I didn’t start just yesterday. I worked hard for this day to come, and I am very proud,” Burgess said.
In addition to leading the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with 150 employees and a budget of more than $9 million, the next sheriff will be tasked with deciding how to address an overcrowded jail that has consistently housed more than the maximum of 322 inmates for months.
The issue is one Burgess is extremely familiar with, since he was named commander of the jail in 2010 by Sheriff Doug Cox. Burgess plans to work with Cox and other county officials, including county council members and commissioners, on what the next steps in that process will be, he said. The county has been required by the state to come up with a plan to address the overcrowding, and officials have discussed multiple options so far.
All three Republican candidates for sheriff have been campaigning for more than a year, creating exploratory committees, fundraising and talking to voters. Whoever wins in the general election this fall will replace Cox, who is not able to be re-elected after two terms under state law.
Burgess said the race has brought he and Cochran, a sheriff’s office investigator who has worked for the agency for 24 years, closer than they were before. The two candidates also faced a challenge from Vann, who retired earlier this year from the Indiana State Police after a 29-year career with the agency.
With a Democratic challenger in the fall, Burgess said he plans to continue campaigning as he has, but also wants to begin focusing on the key issues facing the next sheriff, including the crowded jail.
“It is time to get back to work, do things and make a good positive impact on the sheriff’s department,” Burgess said.
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Johnson County Sheriff
Duane Burgess (R);6,111
Kirby Cochran (R);4,207
Stoney Vann (R);4,507
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